Kakairu and a Mermaid?
by yinyi123
Summary: Kakashi and Iruka, along team 7, including Yamato, are on a summer vacation near the beach where Kakashi got kidnapped by a creature from the deep... And the dolphin! Sorry, Iruka, will do anything to get him back!
1. Chapter 1

I was going around Y8 and thought of the mermaid game I used to play, and this popped in my mind. Hope its good…

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"Hurry up Iruka sensei!" Yelled Naruto who's standing outside Iruka's apartment.

"Do wait for a moment! Just need to find my…" _Where is that sunblock?_

"Looking for this?" Iruka turned his head into the direction where the voice came from, and there stood the famous copy ninja of Konoha Kakashi Hatake. And in his hand he held an orange colored bottle the size of a man's hand.

Team Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sai and Yamato and going on a vacation with Tsunade's permission. Hey, even a strict Hokage can allow her precious ninjas to take a vacation. They are going to a summerhouse, rented by all the members of Team Kakashi (Kakashi and Yamato paid most of the parts). It was Kakashi's idea to invite Iruka, no way he'll have all the fun while Iruka's there grading papers. At the same time the academy teacher need to release stress from all those class clowns and wrongly threw shurikens.

The vacation was also allowing Kakashi to relax himself from using his Sharingan eye too much from his previous mission, the poor man was really strained from that, but not to the point that he can't walk.

"Thank you." Iruka took the bottle from Kakashi's glove-less hand. "I found it under your cupboard, not in it, when's the last time you had a vacation?" Kakashi said so as he pointed his finger towards the bedroom. "Ah…" Iruka replied nervously while scratching his scar. Turning his gaze away from his lover, Iruka stuffed his bag with the bottle and zipped it up.

"I –RU-KA SEN-… OUCH!" Sound of a coconut hitting concrete floor (once) can be heard with Sakura's scolding in the background. To prevent further brain damage on the blond ninja, Iruka called: "I'm coming!" All Kakashi can do was chuckle to his team's everyday drama.

Iruka wore a simple shirt with sky-blue color, and a pair of brown shorts that ends below his knees. As for Kakashi, he covered his sharingan eye with a simple white cloth, a pair of shorts of dark-blue color like his ninja outfit, and a sleeveless shirt of light-green color that ends above his stomach, exposing some of the flesh. By the way it won't make a fashion police to give out a warrant, and it wasn't Kakashi that have a sudden talent for fashion, it was purely requested by Iruka (Nice eh?).

"Let's go already!, ouch!" "Senpai what took you so long?" Yamato asked. That time Sai kept his book "How To Enjoy Summer" away into his vacation bag, Sakura put her head up and acted like nothing happened in the past few seconds, we all know that's not true as Naruto was there mumbling "Sakura-chan..."

Instead of giving out a story about a neglected bottle of lotion covered in dust bunnies beneath a huge cupboard (for it) away from the sunlight, Kakashi just replied: "Let's just go, alright?" Naruto didn't argue.

"Yosha! Come on!" Naruto yelled so as he pulled Iruka's free left arm and running (more like jogging) towards the gates of Konoha, with the others following from behind.

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To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

I actually don't have much idea when I started this so I have to BE careful…

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And off they go, their vacation officially started when they passed the gates of Konoha, the ninjas started chatting to pass the time. The Uzumaki's voice was the loudest among them.

"You should have seen me Sai if you weren't in the air! My Rasengan totally nailed the guy! I even impressed myself! He got beaten up so bad he's gonna wish he'd never meet Naruto Uzumaki! Ne, Sakura-chan?"

"Is that true Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah right, don't be so full of yourself, if Kakashi sensei didn't use his Mangekyou Sharingan to save you you wouldn't even throw that Rasengan!" Sakura then pointed a finger inches away from the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki's nose. "Come to think of it, it was your carelessness that got Kakashi sensei bedridden for a few days, HM!?"

"Sa-Sakura-chan…" Naruto tried his best to tempt the pink-haired kunoichi back into her good mood. To Sai, it's just another lesson to understand humans' relationships. Yamato was walking while reading a book on constructions on summerhouse, but can't help getting interrupted by the comedians walking in front of him.

According to the arrangement, Kakashi and Iruka were both at the back of the line. The best part is, no one notices them when they do their "thing".

Iruka smiled when he saw his favorite student there sweet talking to Tsunade's apprentice. "Kakashi… I want to thank you again for inviting me, I really appreciate it." It took a few seconds for Kakashi to give a sideways glance. "Honestly I wanted to invite you to somewhere where we can be alone, but I would also hate to not to bring Naruto's favorite sensei along, right?" The chunin have a slight surprised look on his scared face, and then smiled. He liked nothing better than seeing his students growing up and improving.

"Oh! Before I forgot to ask, are you sure you can walk around like this? You're still suffering from chakra depletion aren't you? You used your Sharingan too much…" Iruka decided to pause and let Kakashi take over. "Well, we all know I hate to stay in a hospital, it makes me go crazy. Once I stay it'll take away weeks from my life!" Remembering the harsh talking of the nurses, the smell of mixed antidotes and drugs in the air and the poking needles for the IV made Kakashi unable to hold back the sudden shiver.

Iruka got the point. He felt sympathetic toward the copy ninja. "But Lady Tsunade did gave her permission, I can come on this vacation that doesn't use chakra." And a smile formed beneath his always-on mask. With that, Iruka was relieved.

Like a child cramped in a car's backseat during a traffic jam, Naruto suddenly yelled out: "Are we there yet?!" It was then Kakashi and Iruka realized they were a bit trailed off from behind. "There's only about five minutes walk to go!" Kakashi replied with his left hand cupped near his mouth. So, the unpredictable ninja issued a challenge. "Yes! Last one there will carry all our bags into the summerhouse!" With that said, Naruto ran off, cutting the journey short to two minutes run. "Na-Naruto! Wait for the rest of us!" _Really! _Sakura then followed Naruto in the same speed and Yamato have no choice but to workout with them.

The two lovers don't mind carrying bags. But then they looked at each other and shared the same thoughts, and ran along with the four ninjas in front of them.

"First!"

With his foot on the first step on the wooden staircase, Naruto then laughed, declaring his victory. "Naruto you're so immature! What's the point of coming here so early?!" "Is this like the rivalry contest Kakashi-san and Gai-san have?" "NO!" Naruto and Sakura shouted simultaneously. Yamato managed to catch up but not without panting. He steadied himself by grabbing the staircase's hold, and another hand on his knee. "Ah! Kakashi sensei and Iruka sensei will carry all of our bags!" With that said, he threw his bag onto the first step of the staircase. Even without that heavy load, right when Naruto started running he tripped and fell on the staircase. And this gave Sakura the proof to make the case solid, "See what happen when you rush into things?!" All Naruto can do was pull himself together and laugh, you can't tell he was blushing with the red bruise on his nose. Sai was just as expressionless as ever. "Alright, alright we'll do it." Kakashi waved his hand towards Naruto. Then again, Sakura, Sai and Yamato pretended Naruto's bet never happened and carried their own bags. While Kakashi picked up Naruto's bag, making sure Iruka was next to him and started to climb the stairs.

Once they have entered, the team can't help but admire the interiors of their summer house, especially Yamato. Naruto, Sakura and Sai ran off to the second floor to choose their room. Yamato called out: "Once we've settled and rested, we'll go to the beach in an hour, alright?" The teenagers agreeded in unison. Yamato went off to check out the living room and the kitchen.

While Kakashi and Iruka went to look for a room for two.

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To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

How I hope I have more ideas… Come on girl… keep up the pace…

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"Yahoo!" And there went Naruto running down to the seaside by a hill. "Naruto! You should help carry the stuff too! Look at Kakashi sensei and Captain Yamato! Their hands are full!" Like a mother, Sakura demanded Naruto for his assistance. "Alright Sakura-chan…" Naruto, who's wearing orange pants and only that, strolling back up the hill with his both arms swaying left and right. He came up to Yamato, who's holding a cooling box filled with drinks, took it away from him, and walked slowly down the hill. Sai was wearing a black t-shirt and a black trunk. Sakura was wearing a red color swimsuit close to her usual ninja outfit. She was carrying some bags of sundries. Sai was carrying some huge umbrellas and the towels necessary to rest on. Kakashi and Iruka each were carrying picnic basket filled with hand-made food like sandwiches and salads. All of them were careful to watch their steps as they were barefooted and there're twigs and branches on the sand. The sand made Naruto can't help but thought of Gaara of the desert, his pal that became Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village.

"How about here?" Yamato found a good spot on the beach and gestured everyone to come. Naruto and Sai laid out the huge towels on the sand while Kakashi and Iruka placed the umbrellas over it. From her bag, Sakura pulled out a straw hat with a pick colored ribbon tied around it, and placed it on her head. When everyone's done, Naruto started to run towards the water. "Yosha!.. Ak!" With her famed strength, Sakura threw a sunblock towards the blond target. (By that I mean his head). "Naruto! Put that on unless you want to get a sunburn!" Naruto only made a pouting face and started to place the lotion over his body. While Sakura brought out a bottle for herself, she threw another for Sai, "Here Sai, even with that pale skin you still need this." "Thank you." The two jounin and chuunin did the same.

When all was done, it's time for Naruto to officially have fun. When he's halfway playing splash-each-other-with-water with Sakura, Naruto followed the concept "the more the merrier". " Iruka sensei! Come on! The water's great! You too Kakashi sensei, quit reading that book and get in here!" For the first time on that day, Sakura agreed with Naruto. "Yeah, come have fun with us senseis!" "Coming!" Iruka called out and took off his shirt, and ran into Naruto's direction. Kakashi came later, after he put the book in his bag and took his shirt off and like Iruka, he put it by the side. "Tenzou, want to join us?" "No need senpai, you go on ahead." With that said, Yamato continued his sunbathing. Kakashi went to join up the already-having-fun Iruka. After collecting shells, Sai was drawing the scenery of this beach, when he's doing that…

Something caught his attention.

"Captain Yamato." "What is it Sai?" Yamato replied while sitting up. "Besides us, there's no one else on this beach is there?" Yamato jerked up, took off his sunglasses and looked around. All of a sudden the beach looked like a desert with a very big oasis. _I heard of a legend about this place, but it can't be true right? _At the same time, the four ninjas whom had enough of their fun came back to where the umbrellas were. "What is it Tenzou?" Kakashi noticed the look on Yamato's face. "Well, Sai asked about this beach being deserted." It was then Iruka and his two former students noticed the cold situation on the hot beach. "Wh-What's with this place?" Naruto asked with an anxious look on his face. "Yeah, during holidays there should be more tourists, and this beach looked too good to be deserted, or else why would they put summerhouses here?" Sakura said so as she pointed their summerhouse that's visible in their distance, along with a few more around it. Iruka can only look at Kakashi. "Well…" Kakashi broke the few seconds of uncomfortable silence. "I've already noticed that." _You weren't called a jounin for nothing… _Iruka thought so. "But I don't want to ruin the fun. I wanted Tenzou to answer that, since HE was the one who chose this beach."

Everyone turned their heads to the woodstyle user.

"Okay… I chose this beach because I've heard a legend about this place, but I didn't think it would be real. If it's true, we can almost have most of the beach to ourselves." Everyone can only look at him in disbelief. Okay, not Naruto. "Well, this vacation is getting interesting! How about we have barbecue on this beach at night and Captain Yamato can tell us that legend!" "I don't know about it Naruto…" Sakura looked frighten by the moment. "Don't worry Sakura, it's only a legend." Yamato said so in a comforting voice.

In order to lighten the mood, like a teacher on a field trip, Iruka clapped his hands two times. "Alright! I assume everyone had their fun! Let's have our meal, then we'll pack our things and go back, okay?" Everyone agreed with Iruka and brought out the lunch and started eating.

But not Kakashi.

The silver-haired ninja looked like he lost his appetite, he may not look like it, but he's extremely tired. Only his lover can tell the difference. "Kakashi, you're still suffering from chakra depletion are you?" "Well I…" Kakashi gave a silent yet can-be-heard cough. "Everyone, Kakashi and I will go back early. He needs to rest." "Senpai have yet fully recovered right? Go ahead, we'll catch up." While Iruka's holding Kakashi's right arm, he whispered into his ear: "Don't worry about your hunger, I'll make some porridge for you."

Kakashi's looking forward for that.

* * *

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

The clock was ticking away on the wall while Kakashi lay on the bed with white sheets, half asleep. Guess he's not as strong as before. It'll become a surprise to those who knows him when Kakashi comes back from a huge mission without making a stop to the hospital.

Then again, the present Obito gave is no useless baggage.

"Kakashi, I'm coming in!" Iruka gave some slight knocks, and entered the room with the porridge he cooked. It was then he realized Kakashi just started to bring up the sheets. "Sorry, did I wake you up?" "Nah, I wasn't really sleeping anyway." With a slight grunt, Kakashi tried to sit up. Iruka, seeing this, went and placed the tray with a bowl of porridge on the desk nearby. He helped Kakashi to sit up and stabilized him with a large pillow by placing it behind his back. "Thanks… I'm sure Naruto and the others are having fun down there…" Kakashi accepted the bowl of porridge with a hint of envy in his voice. Even the great Sharingan Hero wanted to have fun sometimes.

"Maybe Naruto's idea isn't so bad after all." Kakashi gave a questioning look towards Iruka. "The idea of telling the story about the legend of this beach during night." Finishing half of the porridge, Kakashi said: "Well, during one of my long missions, I actually heard about the legend, it's a pretty tragic one in fact."

Iruka said nothing. But merely enjoyed the silence of the room along with the presence of Kakashi. He sat at the corner of the bed, watching Kakashi finishing his bowl. When he's done, Iruka took the bowl and placed it on the tray. While he's helping Kakashi to lie back down, he asked: "So… You'll be coming to the beach tonight? It seems Naruto's really serious about the barbecue thing, and we do have the equipments for that. Of course, if you're well enough till then." "I'll be fine by then." A slight smile stretched on the brown face. "Of course, wouldn't want to disappoint the others right?"

Although the moon was slightly hidden from the clouds, the moonlight hits the beach as the waves hit the sand. And on the beach, the ninjas on vacation were leaving footprints on the ground with their sandals. Each one of them was holding equipment for their plans for the night. "We'll set up here, the same place we came this afternoon." Yamato said so as he placed the food on the sand (wrapped with plastic bag of course). "Ehh! Why not near there?!" Naruto exclaimed with disappointment as he pointed the cave that was a few meters from their location, and outside the cave there were signs with the words "Do not enter". "I noticed that when we were swimming earlier!" "Naruto! Don't the sign make it obvious?" Naruto tried to resist the urge to yell at his beloved one to trust him better. "I still can read Sakura-chan! I said near it! Not in it." Despite being one of the strongest kunoichi of Konoha, Sakura was afraid to answer the blond ninja. Sai looked like he was thinking. Yamato can only wait for the jury to make up their minds and stood there being the judge. It was the black haired ninja that voiced up. "How about between the two locations, fair isn't it?" (Howls of amazement). Naruto looked at Sai, looked at the cave and Sai again. He can only shrug his shoulders and agreed, "Alright." He walked further away from the cave and placed the things he had in his arms, with Sai he set up the tray necessary for the barbecue and the black charcoals. Sakura and Yamato got the foods out and prepared them.

"Kakashi sensei and Iruka sensei are going to join us, are they? I hope Kakashi sensei is not too sick…" Sakura looked left and right while holding a plate of raw chicken meat. "Oh them, I've met them just now. Well… More like I've only met Iruka, he said we don't need to wait for them, they'll show up." Yamato replied.

Speaking of which…

"Hello everyone!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked into the direction where the familiar voice was heard. Under the moonlight, Iruka was waving his hand with his happy-go-lucky natured attitude. Kakashi, with his usual cool self, walked with his both hands hidden within his pockets, silently following Iruka from behind. Before Iruka started running, he paused his steps and put down his waving hand, turned his head to face his silver haired lover and realized he's a few steps behind. Iruka then smiled at him, having Kakashi's surprised stare in reply. The chuunin raised out his arm and pulled one of Kakashi's hand out from his pocket, and urged him to run faster.

Yamato can't help but smile at the scene that came from a romance drama.

_It seems Kakashi senpai is alright now. _"Glad you two can join us." Yamato gestured the two seats prepared in front of the campfire. "Is there anything we can help with?" Iruka asked as he helped Kakashi to sit on the prepared seat. "There's not much left, you can just sit down and rest for now."

"Yum!" Naruto exclaimed as he took a bite of a chicken wing that he burnt himself. The smoke and aroma can be smelt in the air as everyone enjoyed themselves, everyone was happily chatting away, but among all those happy smiling faces, everyone was actually waiting the so-called famous legend of the beach they had their vacation on. After Kakashi finished his last piece of sausage, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief Iruka lend him, he pulled back his mask and disturbed the relaxing aura in the air. "Well Tenzou, care to tell us about the legend?" Everyone keep silent and their expressions changed from happy to tension, even Jiraiya's apprentice start to forgot about that, "Yeah! Yeah! Tell us Yamato sensei!" Naruto said so with his half-full mouth.

Yamato threw the last rubbish into the plastic bag, sat down in his seat, under the dark sky and the campfire's light made Yamato's face scary enough to send shivers down Naruto and Sakura's spine.

"It was about 200 years ago."

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To be continued… Ah... My chapters are pretty short, I thought I can write that legend here but I can't, be noted I got the idea of the legend from my first favorite anime, Detective Conan!


	5. Chapter 5

I hope this story is good… So is the legend… *desperately pulling hairs with both hands*

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"It was about 200 years ago".

Yamato gave a head start of the story and savor the looks on everybody's faces. Ok, not Kakashi. With that mask on he can even baffle a mind reader. Iruka was holding onto Kakashi's right arm like a starfish sticking to a rock, Naruto can't help but envy his former sensei, wishing Sakura would do the same to him. Of course he rather listen to Yamato continuing the story than to challenge the pink-haired kunoichi's temper. He then turned his head to face Yamato's scary one.

"That time it was nearing the end of a war, although it wasn't one of the ninja wars, it's still enough to send terror throughout the villagers that lived here as well as the seas. It was a pretty simple, typical village. They do fishing and planting paddy fields as a living. But then, around the time the economics got bad, the villagers were desperate to get some money to maintain themselves.

It was around that time, some warriors who survived the war landed on this very beach in a boat. They were part of the sea army fighting in the war. Those warriors wanted to find shelter from their battles and to gain some supplies, and of course, to tend to their wounds. The villages rarely get visitors and their place was pretty isolated before it became a tourist's attraction. At first, the villagers welcomed the warriors but…"

Yamato paused himself, probably to sink in the tragic he's going to tell later. Iruka swallowed his spit down his throat, Kakashi held his left cheek with his hand and rested his elbow on his knee. Sai (do I have to say this again?) was expressionless as ever, Sakura was as stiff as a statue. Naruto was staring at his captain with widen eyes, excited what's going to come next.

"The villagers found out most of those warriors have bounties, and of course, with the economics, they got greedy. The villagers outnumbered those warriors, and naturally, they fought back."

Kakashi straighten his back, though he knows what's going to happen, he wanted to hear it coming from Yamato. He's a great storyteller.

"The warriors' battle for survival went on for three days three nights. Until finally, the villagers cornered those warriors into that very cave." Yamato said that part as he pointed to the cave Naruto was planning to have their dinner outside. "Legend has it the warriors perished there, that's why it's called the 'Army's Last Cave'… But this is the strange part of the story. If the villagers did took down those warriors they should have exchanged their bodies or heads for huge amounts of moneys to support their village. Yet there's no record showing changes in the economical status and their financials, it only raised rapidly during the time when tourism was started, promoting this beach we're on right now."

Suddenly the cave looked like a gateway into hell and the "do not enter" signs looked like a "welcome" sign. Yamato paused, took a deep breath, giving away a terrified view towards the cave. Everyone else did the same. Sakura then jolted her head up suddenly, like a student who wanted to answer a question, she raised her hand up. "Captain Yamato…" Captain Yamato looked at her. "If it's true that tourism is the main financial support of this village till now, why are we the only tourists here right now?" To refer to the beach, Sakura waved both her arms.

Kakashi cleared his throat, making everyone paying their attention to him, the one with hairs that reflects the moonlight perfectly. "When Iruka and I were coming here this evening, we asked the villagers the same question. Apparently it has something to do with the legend Yamato told us, well, so they think. Recently, before we came here, some villagers and tourists have been disappearing on this beach, it was said they were those who are foolish enough to enter the "Army's Last Cave". Although that very cave was the only cave on the beach, Kakashi still pointed his left index finger (his right arm held by Iruka) towards the cave that looked like a demon's mouth.

For a few minutes, only the sound of the waves hitting the sand can be heard, which started to sound like the screams and moaning of pain from the deceased army.

With Sai's pale face and as one whose emotions were eliminated (not completely), you can't tell whether or not he was afraid. "Kakashi-san, those who were reported missing, have they ever been found?" Naruto and Sakura looked eagerly at him. Kakashi placed his hand beneath his chin the way a detective would, "Well… they were found actually, but they were found suffering from mental trauma as if they were placed under a powerful genjutsu, they completely forgotten what happened to them and the mystery continues." The thought of Itachi's sharingan and the three days of hell filled with nothing but non-stop sword stabbing made Kakashi frowned his eyebrows.

Iruka's grip was getting tighter.

Kakashi nearly forgotten about the condition of his lover that's clinging on to him, he had been trying to stay strong throughout the campfire. Kakashi then stood up, at the same time slowly gesturing Iruka to stand up with him."Then again, it's really getting late, let us all withdraw for the night shall we?" his eye curved into a smile. Everyone agreed with the copy ninja and packed up their things and pick up the rubbishes on the sand, as if the beach wasn't contaminated enough already.

^o^ ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ ^o^ ^o^

Kakashi discarded his shirt by the laundry bag, he get himself comfortable with Iruka as he adjusted himself under the bed sheets. _Ah… How Ruka looked so cute when he's between the pillow and the cold sheets… _There's air conditioning in the room so it's okay even if the sheets are thick, that's fine by Kakashi. Like a child wanting attention from his parent, Kakashi snuggled himself beneath Iruka's chin, near his collarbone. Iruka smiled and welcomed him with open arms, he placed his hand on Kakashi's silvery hair, which Iruka have always found attractive, and slightly played with the hair, strand by strand. As the clock ticked and the waves hitting the beach, both lovers drifted off to the dreamland.

Iruka should have hoped what happened in the morning was too a dream.

Iruka woke up in the morning feeling slightly empty, with closed eyes he reached out to his side, touched nothing but air. The poor chuunin's panicking level rose, he looked around desperately trying to find his lover. When he's 100% sure he's not in the room, Iruka quickly changed and went downstairs to look for the other ninjas. In the living room, Naruto was sitting on the couch still looking sleepy, Yamato and Sai were reading books. As Iruka's going to call one of them, Sakura rushed into the summerhouse by slamming open the doors. She was panting and looked terrified, even more than yesterday.

Yamato laid down his book, "Sakura! What is it? What happened?"

Sakura took deep breaths, and from those ragging breaths she managed to make out some words that sounded as dangerous as her desperate-for-breaths-face.

"It's… Kakashi sensei…" *cough*

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To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

The reason why I've started to write fanfiction is to train my writing skills, so do forgive me that my writing is ridiculous, I'm still a beginner.

* * *

Sakura came rushing into door panting as if she just came back from a marathon. "It's…Kakashi sensei…*cough*. The ninjas in the living room jerked up from their seats as if spikes suddenly grew on the chair. Kakashi's disappearing from the room without telling Iruka and the way Sakura addressed Kakashi with short breath made Iruka lost his ability to think rationally. With his heart rate speeding up uncontrollably, Iruka rushed to face Sakura and held on to her shoulders. "What happened to Kakashi? Where is he?!" Iruka didn't realize he was grabbing onto her shoulders a little too tight. Okay, very tight. Seeing the state Iruka's in, Sakura can't blame him and her breathings calmed a little.

"Iruka, let's have her to take a seat and tell us the whole thing." Great, another scary story. Naruto brought out a cup of water for Sakura, Sai and Yamato sat on their couches waiting for Sakura to come to her senses, while the desperate chuunin was walking around, from one minute he crossed his arms then another minute placed them on his messed up hair which made his ponytail went out of shape.

"Okay, here's the thing." Sakura said that after she wiped the water from her lips. Iruka rushed next to Naruto so suddenly it gave him a startle. Sakura officially began with a more serious and stern look on her face.

"The truth is, Kakashi sensei can't get over the disappearing incidents of those tourists and villagers. True, he knows it's a holiday but… we all know Kakashi sensei…" Yamato and Iruka lowered their heads. Yup, as a fully fledged ninja Kakashi can't just walk away leaving a possible mission unsolved.

"Anyway, Kakashi sensei was just leaving the house when I saw him, I was preparing to make some breakfast. I asked him where he was going and he said he was going for a walk. Yeah right, without his book. So I demanded an answer from him nicely." The image of Sakura and her chakra swollen fist flashed through everyone's mind. Naruto can't help but backed off a bit, deciding to give the kunoichi more space to herself.

"Kakashi sensei then let me follow him, on our way there he spoke nothing but let himself in deep thought. He's bringing himself into danger with no weapons but the Sharingan eye, and… Has he fully recovered yet?" Sakura asked that with some hope as she turned her gaze to the sweating Iruka. Iruka slammed a palm to his frowning face, "Oh no… Not yet… he hasn't…"

Then he placed both palms to his face to prevent the tears that are nearing to flow. Everyone looked at him, pitying him. The first step to fully understand what happened to Kakashi is to ask Sakura.

Naruto's face changed from frowning to determine. "Tell us more Sakura-chan! Don't stop there!", "Right!" Sakura answered. Suddenly the duo looked like soldiers. "So, we reached there in front of the cave. Kakashi sensei ignored the sign and entered, I went along with him. We walked in and it was quite a distance, longer than what we can see from the outside…"

*_flashback*_

Sakura was slowly trailing behind Kakashi while the jounin walked with a pace like a detective on a misty road. Sakura was looking around nervously with her both hands fisted in front of her chin, the sound of water dripping and the echoes of the wind blowing sends chills not beneath her spine but all over her body. Kakashi was another story, he kept both hands in his pockets and looked around the black walls of the sad cave. He walked as if he forgotten he brought a companion, but his companion know that's not true.

_Splash. _

Kakashi looked down at his right foot, "Water? Isn't this a closed cave?" "This water is flowing water." The jounin turned his head to the left to see Sakura who's crouching like himself. Kakashi agreed with Sakura, "Looks like this cave is bigger than what it looks from the outside…" Kakashi said so as he stared at the huge lake in front of them. Even though it's dark in the cave with very little sunlight, Kakashi and Sakura can tell the lake was very huge, and at the other edge of it seems like a wall that indicates the end of the cave.

Kakashi suddenly narrowed his eyes, suddenly keeping all his senses up, Sakura noticed this but didn't notice what Kakashi's noticing. "What is it Kakashi sensei?" While she's asking, she kept all her senses up like a hound picking up a scent.

Kakashi placed one of his hands above the water, his expression grim as ever. "There a jutsu here… A very powerful one, it seems familiar…" He closed his eyes and concentrated, like a sensory ninja using his specialty. The jounin then opened his visible eye slowly, and placed his hand that's been above and very close to the surface of the lake into the water. After soaking his hand for five seconds, Kakashi took up his hand.

Kakashi stared.

Sakura gasped.

The soaked hand was not wet.

Sakura suddenly remembered Captain Yamato's face above the campfire, _the curse of the Army's Last Cave… _As if on cue, howls of the missing army's souls echoed throughout the cave. Sakura's so scared she's on the verge of crying, she can't help herself but held on to her teacher's arm and stayed there. She lost all her ninja senses in just a few seconds.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan, it's just the wind."

Kakashi calmed his only female student while still observing his palm and the lake. Though it's just a few words, Sakura regained her title as the Fifth Hokage's apperentice. She stood up and took deep breaths. Kakashi placed his hand beneath his chin and said aloud so Sakura can hear him, "I wonder."

Without taking a deep breath, Kakashi suddenly plunged his whole head into the lake water.

"Ka-Kakashi sensei!" Sakura was slightly taken back by the jounin's action. Kakashi soaked his head for a few minutes. As a fellow human, Sakura naturally got worried. But she's sure the great copy-nin knew what he's doing, right?

Oh yes he do.

Kakashi took his head up, as expected (or not), his perfectly white-silver hair was not wet, and so was the mask on his face. He faced Sakura with an amusing gaze in his eye, "I can breathe in there." Sakura, of course, was dumbfounded. "B…But how…?" Kakashi replied her whilst looking at the lake's surface.

"No wonder it's familiar, it's some sort of space-time ninjutsu. Though this jutsu focuses more on space." Kakashi should know this as his Sharingan that made him famous can too use the near-same jutsu. Sakura's unable to fit all of these together. "But when we were swimming on the beach, we all need to hold our breath down there and we all got wet from head to toe! And I'm sure this lake water connects to the sea." Kakashi finally stood up while his gaze was still fixed on the lake.

"This jutsu only activates when you enter from this lake right here, the jutsu's quite a powerful one. For example, if you're under this lake with a fish, your whole body actually existed in a different space. So you won't suffocate or get wet, but…"

Sakura swallowed her forgotten spit. "If you got pricked by a porcupine fish or hit a rock real hard in the water, you'll still get hurt. Because when they made contact with you, our space will briefly connect with theirs. Now the main questions are, why is there such a powerful jutsu here? Who placed it? Does it have something to do with the legend and the missing army?"

*_End of flashback*_

Sakura drank a big gulp of water to ease her drying mouth and throat. The tension around the living room was just too high. Naruto and Sai sat on the same couch with grim expressions, Yamato sat on a separate couch with his both hands crossed bellow his lips.

"And then… There was something that jumped in front of us from the lake, I couldn't believe it at first but we're sure of what we saw, it was…" The kunoichi paused, Naruto can't handle patience well, "Well? What is it?" He jumped up from the couch.

"It was a mermaid."

* * *

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

*Slaps in the face* Now that I thought back, ergh! A mermaid? What was I thinking?! Well, since I have already come this far…

* * *

"It was a mermaid."

Sakura said so while half expecting everyone not to believe her, and they were. Even Sai who was famed with an unreadable face raised both his eyebrows, Yamato and Naruto looked at Sakura with differently raised eyebrows instead. Iruka placed one of his hands on his forehead with strands of his hairs sticking out between his fingers, and rested the upper-part of his body on the couch Naruto's sitting on.

"Kakashi sensei and I were of course, were shocked..."

_*Flashback*_

The very still lake was no longer still, as the foreign creature jumped out from the surface and made a circle in the air like a trained dolphin. Although it was just a flash, Kakashi and Sakura can tell it's no dolphin. Heck! The villagers have told them there are no cetaceans in the area. Sakura opened her mouth wide in shock while Kakashi took a fighting position. Water splashed again as the long-haired mermaid showed herself from the surface, and this time she stayed there half-emerging with her lower part in the water.

Kakashi and Sakura kept themselves together and took a very, very good look at her.

She had long blue-green hair that runs just above her waist, she wore a sunset-colored top and was green-colored from the waist. Although her face was covered with the locks from her hair, the two ninjas can tell she had pretty eyes and slim lips. In fact, they were staring and observing her for so long they didn't realize the mermaid herself was doing the same to them as well.

When all three of finally came to their senses, Kakashi and Sakura jumped three steps behind, well technically they only needed one step and ninjas are like super humans. The mermaid herself swam a bit more to the shore and placed both hands on the cold cave's floor, she then focused her gaze on the silver-haired ninja. Kakashi stared her back. Just as the mermaid opened her mouth and tried to say something, two more splashes emerged from behind the mermaid.

This time it was two creatures with the shape of a fish and human, Kakashi and Sakura just can't ignore. Their looks were so deformed and they were carrying weapons, and THAT, cannot be ignored. The pick haired kunoichi measured the chakra flow in her right fist and standing by, Kakashi flashed his Sharingan and started analyzing and deciding the worst case scenario.

The creature on the left side of mermaid shouted with his fish-like lips, "Intruders! Get them!" The other one yelled the line that brought up the alarm, "They must not know of this place!" With that said, the lake rumbled strongly, the ninja duo controlled the chakra in their feet to hold their ground, a mini tsunami emerged from the lake and started to surround them.

With the speed of his chakra nature, Kakashi quickly formed some hand seals, performing a water jutsu and drawing the water away from getting Sakura and him wet. The two creatures suddenly emerged from the waves, going after them. Here's the fun part, Sakura only gave out her trademark punch, sending the creature back into the waves as if it just went through a horizontal bungee jump. Kakashi, on the other hand, had to have a combat with the creature (seems bigger than the one Sakura just punched) with the kunai he brought out secretly against the creature's blue-colored trident. Sounds of metals clashing together drew Sakura's attention to her sensei, "Kakashi sensei, let me help you!"

Kakashi stumbled.

His feet stepped on the slippery side of the cave's floor and starting to fall on his back, while the creature's ugly face and the sharp end of his trident was closing in fast…

"Cherry Blossom Thrust!" Sakura meant what she said just now as she sent the creature flying into the cave's wall, creating a huge crack and rocks stared flying.

Kakashi grunted as he tried to lif himself up as Sakura helped him. "Kakashi sensei, are you alright? What were those things…" She paused as she saw the jounin closed his Sharingan eye, which seems to be the real source of pain he's feeling at the moment. "It seems I have yet fully recovered, this will be our disadvantage, on top of that, we know nothing about our enemies…"

_*End of flashback*_

"Everything happened so fast, the last thing I remember was Kakashi sensei was being grabbed from the wild waters and he yelled to tell me to run." Sakura finished her story by taking a deep breath and placed both of her hands on her laps.

Yamato sat there quietly, as the only jounin in the group and being Kakashi's junior, he started to formulate a plan in his head, even if he admitted he wasn't as good as the copy-ninja.

* * *

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

First thing first, I'd like to thank all those who have read and review my fanfiction! Thank you thank you! *bows three times*

* * *

"What weapons do we have?"

Yamato finally stood up and gave a response, everyone jerked up from their position. Sakura and Naruto looked uneasy, "I'm afraid we didn't bring anything Captain Yamato, originally it's just a vacation…"

Sai searched his backpack, "I have my scroll and ink". To us it's nothing more than drawing materials, but to this ANBU member it's a deadly weapon. Yamato can only shook his head left and right in disapproval. "Ink might not work well in the water Sai, I'm sorry."

Naruto who looked lit up for a moment there had a sudden interest on the wooden floor by looking at it. "Yeah… and we only have our ninjutsu and taijutsu to put to use…" Sakura tried to analyze and count the odds with so little information about their so-called enemies.

Suddenly, Yamato's previous words flashed through her head and she panicked, "Hold on! We're going into the water? But we know nothing about that space ninjutsu or something, what if the jutsu dispersed and we might drown…" Sakura just can't continue.

Naruto, who's have the guts to never give up, encouraged Sakura, "Come on Sakura-chan! You're not going to leave our sensei are you? Let's go already Yamato taichou!" Sakura can only smile in reply and stood up from her comfy seat and prepared the gloves she always brings on herself. There's always something about the blond that's able to change one person's mood in an instant.

*Under the water*

Kakashi woke up feeling groggy, and had a feeling in near zero gravity, his body felt lighter than before. _Ahh… What's going on?... Where am I?... _Kakashi paused his thoughts when he remembered he got pulled into the waves by one of the creatures he and Sakura were facing. Immediately the jounin sat up to analyze his surroundings and was surprised to found out he was not bound the way a prisoner usually is.

Instead, the silver haired ninja found himself laying on a rainbow colored bed, the floor was made almost entirely of seashells, marble-like stones, and light-colored sands, the seaweeds have mixed colors of red and orange, and were aligned in an orderly manner. The walls of the room were made almost entirely of pink curtains with a pillar on each corner. On the far end of the left side corner of the room, there is what Kakashi can make out as a dressing table, with its giant mirror and appliances on the table.

Kakashi raised the bed sheet and tried to get himself off the soft bed, and found he's floating in the water. For a few moments there he was actually having fun. _Enough Hatake! Get serious! _The Hatake yelled in his head, but found himself rotating in the water, he started kicking his legs and floated toward the curtains that have different colors than the rest, which he assumed it's the door to the outside of this very room.

*In the cave…*

The Konoha entered the Army's Last Cave equipped and ready. Iruka was leading the way with a face of a fighter, sending of an aura even a Hokage can be repelled. Sakura was following nervously behind Yamato and Naruto was second in the line. Finally after what seemed an hour, the team reached the lake where there were leftovers from the fight earlier.

Wasting no time, like the unpredictable ninja he is, Naruto submerged his head into the water, after he pulled his head out there's an expression of both humor and surprise plastered to his face. Sai bowed down and looked as if he wanted to try as well.

Iruka Umino stared at the lake intensely.

_Kashi's down there… _Iruka clenched both fists. Yamato can almost read Iruka's mind and gave a reply he wanted to hear, he turned to his team which he's going to be the commander, "Remember what I've said before, don't do anything reckless and always stick together. We know so little of the situation we'll bring ourselves in, so keep a low profile."

"Understood!" The three ninjas replied in unison as they were supposed to. Yamato patted Iruka's shoulder that gave him a startle. "Including you, Iruka sensei. Iruka nodded his head which indicated he understands.

And the five ninjas jumped into the water without holding their noses.

* * *

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9

It's not easy thinking out the plot for this, but I'll continue because I like this story myself!

* * *

The curtains flutter open, Kakashi stopped and heighten his senses that a ninja would, creating extra bubbles around his long legs and arms as he flipped them to halt his movements in the clear water. From the curtains emerged the mermaid he saw earlier in the cave, this time in beautiful, pink colored flowing robes, completely covering her upper body (except her cleavage), and half of her tail. Her hair was tied and decorated with jewelries, two jade bracelets on each of her arms. As a trained one, Kakashi learned not to be tempted by the three prohibitions of a shinobi, alcohol, money and woman.

"Would you like some alcohol?"

_Hm? _With those words, the jounin suddenly paid attention to what was in her right hand. A bottle of Vodka. With a sense of curiosity, Kakashi backed up a bit, creating an invisible path for the mermaid to swim towards the dressing table. The mermaid turned her head towards the wide-eyed ninja behind her, and had the wrong idea of his thoughts. "Don't worry, the alcohol won't go anywhere in the water, it's taken from your world so it'll stay in one place so you can drink it.

Kakashi blinked, trying to recover from seeing rainbows. "By the way, my name is Isabella." Isabella said so with a blushing face. Which Kakashi seem to notice, all his years for reading Make-Out Series wasn't for nothing. He also learns it was at this time a girl is at her most sensitive. The Hatake decided he needs to analyze the situation and choose his words correctly.

*On to Iruka's rescue group*

"Cool…" Naruto have been mumbling the same word over and over since they entered the waters, creating floating bubbles every time he turned his head. Sakura and Sai have been admiring the beauty of the corals and fishes. "I can't believe we didn't notice this when we came." Said the Haruno as she was too admiring the view. "Stay focus you all, we're still on a mission." "Y-Yes!" Yamato than turn his head in front and continue their scouting with Iruka by his side.

They were all hiding behind large corals and rocks, as well as trying their best to shield their chakra. There were mermen swimming all over the place and so are fish-like creatures that were carrying weapons like tridents and sharp knives strapped to their scaly waists. The ones with armor have scars in visible spots like on their tails, some even have their fins chipped off.

Are all signs that they can be hostile.

"First, we need to scout this area because we don't want any surprises." Yamato whispered as softly as he can because a creature that seemed like a guard had just swam past them. Naruto and Sakura formed a two-men team and swam in the north direction, while Iruka and Sai went scouting the west direction, and Yamato remained in their original position to continue accessing the situation they're in.

*Back to Kakashi..."

"Why am I here?" Kakashi said to Isabella with a soft yet stern voice to show he meant buiness, because for ordinary guys they would just passed out drinking while laying their heads in a girl's laps.

In this case, a girls's tail.

Isabella said nothing since she offered the colorless alcohol to Kakashi, the jounin was sitting opposite to her on the seashell like table, with a filled cup in front waiting for him. Isabella's expression was grimm. Suddenly Kakashi felt like he was a pushy police officer intergratting an innocent person and decided to change the topic.

"I... Find the arrangement of your room attractive... " Kakashi commented with his head slighty turned. Isabella heard the compliment and perked her head up, but went back down. Exhaling, Kakashi took up the cup of wine offered to him and drank some of the liquid down to his throat.

Isabella peeked from the corner of her eyes.

After drinking a quarter from the addictive drink, Kakashi placed the cup back on the table, "It... Had a great taste to it." The silver haired man commented. His visible eye cured into an arch, which made Isabella blush harder, but not shy enough to keep her head down, as she saw the smile behind the Konoha ninja's mask. "Was it really? Have as much as you want then! I don't mind, anything to make you happy!"

Kakashi held his genuine smile, and asked :"Isabella, do you know there's a village around here, which they turned the nearby beach into a tourist attraction?" "The mermaid shook her head up and down, "Oh yes I do!, our ancesters uses to help an army that was battered and beaten that ran into the opening cave from the beach!"

Kakashi immeditedy paid full attention.

Kakashi asked furthur, "Isabella.. Do you know who placed this space-time jutsu at the lake that enables me to breath underwater? I realy wish to know." Isabella smiled and answered without hesitation, her looks were so innocent. "Well... It was said that one of the army was a ninja... Right? That's what those people were called I think, he placed that HUGE jutsu so that he and friends can escape into the water when my ancesters tried to help them back then, and so that army people lived and died here, and the person that placed that jutsu here died before he can dispered it, and this jutsu remained here ever since." Isabella ended the last part with both her arms swaying above her head.

Kakashi took the information calmly.

"Isabella... Did your people threaten the villagers that lived above? " Kakashi described with his finger pointing above. Like a rubberband that snapped all of it's potential energy, Isabella replied with a frighten voice, "Oh we didn't mean to hurt them! We just want to scare them off that's all! We... Our ancestes learn some genjutsus from that ninja back then, and we used it to scare them off! We didn't mean to threaten their lives, we.. Just want to keep our home safe...". The mermaid lowered her head again, as if expecting the worst from the silver haired jounin.

The Hatake just kept quiet.

*Let's go to Iruka's group shall we?*

Sai was trying to test out his drawings on the scroll while Iruka was watching a fourth guard intensely, they already passed through three guards. From a distance, Iruka can make out what seems like a village or a town behind the huge rocks, but the water was limiting his sight.

"Sai, can you create a diversion?" "I'll try."

Sai worked magic with his ink and scroll, swiftly, he drew fishes and summonded them into life forms. _So... Despite being underwater, Sai's ink can still stay in one place..._ Iruka don't know if it was because ofthe space-time jutsu or Sai's already capable of that.

Sai quickly sent the fishes into the opposite direction, making noises along the way. The guard's fins perked up and swam into the direction where the ink fishes went, for the reason to check what the bubble making noise was. Quickly, Iruka and Sai swam into the line where the guard was supposed to be guarding, and towards the village or town behind the huge rocks.

_Kakashi... Wait for me, I'll find you! _Calmly, Iruka performed a rabbit hand seal and started to sense the white chakra he loved so much.

* * *

To be continue...


End file.
